tasting notes from the north

Ginis La Frosca – modern Soave at it’s best

To be honest – not so long ago Soave did suffer from quite a bad reputation. The wines underperformed and as with many other white wines form Italy – they felt a bit uninspired. But thankfully a lot has happened in the last 10 years or so.

Lately I feel that the italien “great whites” (no pun intended! 😉 ) are getting better and better. The reliance on new oak (good for quick gains but bad for long time track record) has diminished and the knowledge both in the vineyard and in the cellar has increased and some of the estates in Soave is leading the way.

This wine from Gini is somewhat of a modern classic. The producer makes two top-tier dry Soaves, the Contrada Salvarenza and the La Frosca. The latter from the vineyard La Frosca (6ha) is made from 100 percent garganega grapes and the vines got an average age of 50 years. It was partly fermented in steel and old oak vats but it has not went through malo lactic fermentation. Before bottling it has spent at least 8 months in 228 liters oak casks (but hardly new).

This usually gives a wine with lovely concentration and freshness. And La Frosca 2009 is no exception.

The wine is bright yellow in colour and has already a developed nose with elements of mature apples, flowers, honey, lanolin and melon. On the palate it has a lot of flavor with again tastes of apples, honey, bees wax and melon. The acids feels fresh but also mature and mellow and the long and well balanced aftertaste got a good minerality to it. Drink now or keep for up to five years!